What My Closet Full of Unused School Supplies Taught Me
This one's for educators (public school, private school, home school, college professors) gearing up for the school year. There's a freebie at the bottom to help them spend with intention instead of by accident. Feel free to forward this to any teacher you love, so they can start the year off calm and with plenty left over for the things that bring them joy… like iced coffee on the first day of school.
Are you getting your classroom ready for the school year?
Let me take you back to what my back-to-school shopping used to look like.
Every August had the same script. I'd walk into Target with a cart and a vague plan. I'd walk out $200 lighter with a stack of bins, borders, and "cute" storage I didn't actually need, stuff that just got shoved into a closet and lived there for the rest of the school year. Nothing about it was reckless. It just wasn't planned, and without a plan, I just kept spending. One trip turned into three, and each one felt justified in the moment.
Then the week before school would hit, and that's when it got worse. Between the nerves and the exhaustion of getting the classroom ready, my guard dropped completely. I'd suddenly "need" things I'd somehow forgotten about in August, one more set of bins, a better system for something that worked fine the year before, and I'd spend on all of it without a second thought, because I was too tired to stop and ask if I actually needed it.
Unplanned spending has a way of adding up to real money by the time the first bell rings.
So somewhere along the way, I stopped winging it, and this is what I did instead.
What I Did Every August to Financially Prep for the School Year
1. I made the list first.
Before I bought anything, I’d walk through my classroom in my head, sometimes literally walk through it, and write down what I genuinely needed. Not what was cute on Pinterest. What the room needed to actually function on day one. Writing it down turned “shopping” into “sourcing,” and those were two very different activities for my bank account. If I were to do this today, I’d actually go in a take pictures or a video of my classroom. That way, I could also look at it while I was shopping and help me decide if I really needed something or not.
2. I picked a number before I picked up a single item.
I decided what I was willing to spend on classroom setup before I ever stepped into a store or opened a browser tab. Not a vague ceiling I’d talk myself past standing in the dollar section, an actual number, decided when I was calm and nowhere near a checkout line. The spending happened after the number, never before it.
3. I left my cards at home and brought cash instead.
Teacher store, dollar store, office supply store, Target, wherever I was headed, I’d leave my debit and credit cards at home and bring cash. It’s hard to overspend when cash is all you have in your pocket. An MIT study showed that people would spend significantly more (60+%!) when using a credit card over cash. Swiping just doesn’t hurt the same way handing over cash does, even with a debit card, and I’ll be honest, I’m guilty of that too. Leaving the card at home was an extra bit of caution, a boundary I set for myself before I even walked in the door.
4. I built an Amazon wish list and put it out into the world.
I didn’t just make the list and quietly hope someone stumbled onto it. I shared it on Facebook, the family group text, and my wealthy, childless uncle who was always wanting to donate to my classroom. And it didn’t have to be big-ticket items to work. Pencils, clipboards, mini whiteboards, a pack of Expo markers, all of it got fulfilled by people I knew well and also people I hadn’t talked to in years. Heck, I’ve actually seen music teachers ask for ukuleles and get them funded. You genuinely never know who out there wants to help your classroom, but they can’t help if they don’t know it exists.
(Check with your principal before putting your list out into the world. Some schools and districts are easygoing about teachers sharing, others aren’t. It may just be a matter of altering your language, like “School is around the corner and it’s also my half birthday! Here’s my wish list for my birthday.” Who’s to say you don’t love office supplies like Amy Santiago from Brooklyn 99?)
4a. When someone bought something off the list, I thanked them like it mattered, because it did.
A phone call or a handwritten note, not just copied and pasted text. That was real money out of someone’s pocket for my classroom. People remember how they were thanked. It’s the difference between a one-time gift and someone who wants to help again next year.
5. I set a clothes budget, and then I stopped.
I wanted to look crisp and pulled together for the first few days, and that felt like a legitimate expense worth budgeting for. So I set a number for it. But after the first week or two, nobody was grading my outfit rotation. The clothes already hanging in my closet from the October before were usually fine. I didn’t need a whole new fall wardrobe to prove I was ready for the school year.
6. I asked the teachers who were leaving.
Retired teachers, teachers who’d just resigned, teachers switching grades or schools. They were sitting on bins of stuff they’d hauled home for years and quietly wished someone else would take off their hands. I asked directly. I walked away with books, supplies, even small instruments, for free, and they were relieved to see it go to someone who’d actually use it instead of a landfill or taking up space in their basement.
None of this was about spending less out of guilt. It was about deciding where the money went before the back-to-school chaos decided for me. A list, a number, a wish list I actually shared, a little follow-through, and a few honest conversations, that was the whole plan.
It cost nothing and it was the difference between an August that drained me and one I walked into with a plan already in place.
Teachers: I made a little something just for you! 🫶
➡️ I wish I’d had a tool back then. One that would’ve kept me from overspending on my classroom and having to tell my husband we needed to skip pizza and beer night at the end of August (and maybe part of September too). So I built the one I needed, just for you:
Set your goal
List every item
Track what you bought versus what got gifted off your wish list
It’s free right now and waiting for you to download.
This keeps track of every dollar on purpose. Use the A+ Classroom Budget Planner to keep more money in your pocket for date nights, iced coffee, or your favorite Friday cocktail. No more guessing where your hard-earned money went.
🍎 Know a teacher gearing up for the new school year? Forward this to them. A financially calm start is a gift.
Hi! I’m Jeannette and I help professionals ditch debt without the overwhelm and build wealth without the stress.
📞 Don't wait for "someday." Book your FREE 15-minute call this week and start making a plan with your money now.
Friendly reminder: The information shared is for educational purposes only and isn’t a substitute for financial, legal, tax, or mental health advice. Please consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.
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